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Press
Thank you for your interest in Behind the Educator. Below you’ll find everything you need to cover the book, including a press release, author bio, and downloadable assets.
For interview requests or review copies, please use the contact form or email amy@behindtheeducator.com
About the Book (Press Version)
Behind the Educator: Finding Light When Life Unravels is a debut memoir by Amy Paulson, publishing August 4, 2026. The book tells the story of Joshua, a high school principal in Palo Alto and Santa Rosa, California, who was systematically pushed out of the public school system, and the devastating impact that had on his family. Written by his former wife Amy, the memoir explores institutional failure, the hidden practice of backdoor references that quietly end educators’ careers, the intersection of workplace trauma and mental health, and the lasting effects on a marriage and family. It is a deeply human story of love, loss, and finding the light when life unravels.
Author Bio (Press Version)
Amy Paulson is a Cornell University graduate and debut author whose work moves through shadow and emerges with hope intact. After twenty years in California, she now makes her home outside Philadelphia. Behind the Educator: Finding Light When Life Unravels is her first book.
Key Story Angles:
• A high school principal pushed out by the California public school system and the family left behind
• The hidden practice of backdoor references: how school districts quietly block educators from career advancement with no transparency or accountability
• The intersection of institutional trauma and mental health — rarely explored in memoir
• Administrative accountability for school principals: who holds leaders accountable when the system fails them?
• A story of marriage, codependency, resilience, and the grace of accepting our shared human complexity
• A debut author who turned twenty-five years of lived experience into a memoir after returning to the East Coast
Downloads
Interview & Review Copy Requests
Amy Paulson is available for print, digital, podcast, and broadcast interviews. To request an interview or a review copy of Behind the Educator, please use the contact form or email directly at amy@behindtheeducator.com